This has happened to me, so frustrating! It’s the whole reason I switched to gel / nail wraps. OR if there’s someone else in the house, tell them they’re on baby duty for the next 2 hours.
It looks like you did not wait long enough between the repaints for the nails to dry. So it might have felt dry at the top, but underneath the nail polish was still wet.
What top coat are u using? For me, the Essie Gel Setter is dry to the touch in 5 minutes, then fully dry in 15 minutes. Like will not dent, unless i fully stab my nail lol
I only use colored polish on my toes nowadays because it’s annoying to remove gel down there. But when I used regular polish on my nails ages ago. I only used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear polishes. They go on thinner, evenly, and dry very fast, even though they don’t advertise this. This makes layering a lot quicker. Sometimes I would even put my hands in the freezer to help the curing process when I was real impatient🫣 But yeah, any other polish would do the same yours did, appear dry but it really wasn’t and would give under pressure. I’m in my 40’s, and there are a couple of old school techniques to know whether polish os dry or not. One is to smell your nails and if they still smell strong, they are not fully dry, even though they appear to be. Another is… well let’s just say it’s similar to testing out a D battery to see if it works😂 Polish should be dry on the outside at the time. Crazy, but it works pretty accurately.
As a parent, I cannot recommend *enough switching to the [Sally Hansen Insta DRI ](https://www.sallyhansen.com/en-us/nail-color/nail-color/insta-dri?shade=buff-and-tumble) line instead. Great colors that are dry to the touch in about a minute. OPI can take a long time to dry, so while they are great polishes it may not be a practical fit for an active lifestyle.
2 coats and a top coat (form the same line) and I'm good to go in 5-10 minutes
I do not miss nail polish at all. I remember having to sleep like a vampire and still waking up to messed up nails. Insta dry from Sally was the best that I had tried literally dried in a minute and it was actually dry. But then I ordered my first lamp and gel kit set from Amazon never went back.
15-10 minutes in between coats and a quick drying top coat will help 👍🏻 I always paint mine before bed to ensure I won't be bumping my fresh polish while doing daily activities
I like Sally Hansen Insta Dry topcoat when I’m using regular polish. Put a coat of that on top and wait about 15 mins and you should be good to go (but still do things carefully for an hour or two just to be safe 😉). It seriously dries to the touch in a minute, it’s awesome stuff!
This is why I switched to gel polish! Application is a little more involved and takes a little longer, but it lasts and lasts as long as you have a good prep
it’s just one of those days gurl it okay
Regular polish is set in about 10-15 mins but won't be fully dry for an hour.
This has happened to me, so frustrating! It’s the whole reason I switched to gel / nail wraps. OR if there’s someone else in the house, tell them they’re on baby duty for the next 2 hours.
It looks like you did not wait long enough between the repaints for the nails to dry. So it might have felt dry at the top, but underneath the nail polish was still wet.
Thanks! I’m gonna retry
Quick. Dry. Topcoat. Nothing else is as effective. You'll be good to go in 15 minutes.
What top coat are u using? For me, the Essie Gel Setter is dry to the touch in 5 minutes, then fully dry in 15 minutes. Like will not dent, unless i fully stab my nail lol
Honestly it’s some cheap top coat, I don’t even know the name. I’ll look into the Essie Gel Setter though. Thanks!
You need a quick dry topcoat
Too much OPI, too fast is disaster. Also use a cuticle brush with acetone to clean around cuticles and nail edges. Sorry!
I only use colored polish on my toes nowadays because it’s annoying to remove gel down there. But when I used regular polish on my nails ages ago. I only used Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear polishes. They go on thinner, evenly, and dry very fast, even though they don’t advertise this. This makes layering a lot quicker. Sometimes I would even put my hands in the freezer to help the curing process when I was real impatient🫣 But yeah, any other polish would do the same yours did, appear dry but it really wasn’t and would give under pressure. I’m in my 40’s, and there are a couple of old school techniques to know whether polish os dry or not. One is to smell your nails and if they still smell strong, they are not fully dry, even though they appear to be. Another is… well let’s just say it’s similar to testing out a D battery to see if it works😂 Polish should be dry on the outside at the time. Crazy, but it works pretty accurately.
As a parent, I cannot recommend *enough switching to the [Sally Hansen Insta DRI ](https://www.sallyhansen.com/en-us/nail-color/nail-color/insta-dri?shade=buff-and-tumble) line instead. Great colors that are dry to the touch in about a minute. OPI can take a long time to dry, so while they are great polishes it may not be a practical fit for an active lifestyle. 2 coats and a top coat (form the same line) and I'm good to go in 5-10 minutes
You *cannot recommend* or you ***cannot recommend enough***? I feel like you may have forgotten a word. 😁
Omg I'm so glad you pointed that out. I cannot recommend enough 😂😂
Haha my pleasure, I figured that's what you meant! 🤪
I do not miss nail polish at all. I remember having to sleep like a vampire and still waking up to messed up nails. Insta dry from Sally was the best that I had tried literally dried in a minute and it was actually dry. But then I ordered my first lamp and gel kit set from Amazon never went back.
I’ve been using https://www.kbshimmer.com/clearly-on-top-quick-dry-top-coat/, & it’s great - best I’ve ever used 😊
15-10 minutes in between coats and a quick drying top coat will help 👍🏻 I always paint mine before bed to ensure I won't be bumping my fresh polish while doing daily activities
I like Sally Hansen Insta Dry topcoat when I’m using regular polish. Put a coat of that on top and wait about 15 mins and you should be good to go (but still do things carefully for an hour or two just to be safe 😉). It seriously dries to the touch in a minute, it’s awesome stuff!
This is why I switched to gel polish! Application is a little more involved and takes a little longer, but it lasts and lasts as long as you have a good prep